As June approaches (as it write it is 10:007 in Burkina so really it is just to say June is nearly here.) I have been doing some thinking. I thought I’d share with you a little of what is going on in my heart and head.
As my return to the world I left at home draws nearer I consider more and more the idea of time. I consider how much time I have left here and how quickly my time here has gone past. As I consider the idea of time I realise how little I really understand about it. I know that sometimes I goes unbearably slow (usually when I am anticipating something) and at times it passes so quickly I barely have a moment to reflect on it’s disappearance. As I think about the nature of time a passage from a letter written by C.S. Lewis comes to mind:
"Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? Or if they did would the fact itself not strongly suggest that they had not been or would not always be, purely aquatic creatures? Notice how we are perpetually surprised at Time. (“How time flies! Fancy John being grown up & married! I can hardly believe it!” In heaven’s name, why? Unless indeed, there is something in us which is not temporal." -C.S. Lewis
I recognize that just as I am living currently in what I consider to be "two worlds" here on earth: Canada and Burkina, so two I struggle to be between two different temporal worlds. My body is limited by time: I am restricted by day and night, the passage of minutes, days, weeks, years... But my spirit is eternal and will have no end. And so it is natural that I feel this conflict of two “temporal worlds”. Time and eternity are undoubtedly a part of who I am.
Evelyn Underhill puts it so well when she says “Because we live under two orders we are at once a citizen of eternity and time. Like a pendulum, our consciousness moves perpetually [...]”
And so as I consider coming home to this other world I consider the fact that although perhaps time feels as though is passing quickly here, it’s because I am designed only part to be a resident of the world of time, but I am forever designed to be a resident of eternity where time has no meaning. Although for the moment I am a resident of two earthly worlds and I am navigating the fine balance of life in Burkina and life in Canada, I will for the rest of my earthly life navigate the balance of eternity and time. I will always struggle to understand why time escapes me, and why I cannot grasp it because my spirit is designed for something so much more magnificent where we won’t be bound to time. In heaven our vocabulary will be devoid of words like time-management, pressed for time, in a rush and I have to believe that will be magnificent.
Now that having been said once I’d thought all that through I assumed I was done with thinking. However, some nights later, I was thinking some more, and God was nudging at my heart. He reminded me that not only was my spirit designed as eternal and my body as temporal, but that all things are his. And if everything is Gods and he simply gives us things for our time here on earth, that means even our time here on earth is his. It sounds simple doesn’t it? I mean it really shouldn’t have taken me so long to piece the puzzle together. It was one of those things I knew, and God was reminding me (I find often those sorts of reminders are things we find we know, but God needs to remind us a lot..) Time, as much as I struggle with ‘des fois’, is a gift from God. He doesn’t owe me time here; he chooses to give me time here.
31.5.09
28.5.09
Tene
Last Monday (18/05/09) was a day full of interesting stories so here’s a quick update:
The orphanage received a huge gift Monday morning. A missionary family brought 350 Moringa trees to the orphanage that they’d grown from seed in their courtyard. We thought it might take our team a while to plant the trees (it was us four, their family of six and a couple of our staff) however, Adiara suggested we ask some of our school children to pitch in and was I ever amazed. Swarms of children flocked to the truck to unload trees: I’ve never seen trees fly into so many hands and then off to so many directions! We literally had to hold children back because they were so eager to help. Since our boys already had holes dug everyone split off into teams: the first watered the ground, second put in manouere, third filled the hole back in and the put the tree in and covered it. All 350 trees were planted in less than two hours! The Moringa trees will be a huge blessing to the orphanage. Sometimes they are called the “Miracle Tree” because the tree is so rich in vitamins. It has more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk and more vitamin c than carrots. There is a whole list of other vitamins it contains iron and magnesium being only just a few.We will harvest the leaves of the trees, dry them and prepare a powder from it (the best way to get the most vitamins from the leaves) and add the powder to the children’s food. This past weekend we started including the Moringa Powder in the children’s meals. Although preparing a powder as we do is the best way to prepare the moringa leave you can prepare it various other ways. You can also eat every part of the tree including the seeds. The seeds can be used to purify water. Moringa powder can be used to treat malnuritrion, as well as help breastfeeding mothers ensure they are getting the nutrients they need to give their child what it needs. We watched a video Monday afternoon that showed some health clinics where they have been treating malnuritrion with powder made from the moringa leaves. I was amazed to see how much weight children would put on in just weeks of taking small amounts of the powder in their diets!I also saw a map of where the moringa trees grow contrasted to a map of where malnutrition occurs globally. Would you believe it the two maps were nearly identical?
I was privileged to witness a rare spectacle here in Burkina Faso while tree planting! A perfectly circular ring appeared around the sun a little before noon. I was working outside near Jean and I asked him what it was. He explained it was in fact a rainbow.Jean and the kids told me they happen every so often, however it was Ruth’s first time seeing one and she’s been here nine years. So I felt privileged even if the kids say they aren’t that rare. It was beautiful. The children and staff seemed to hardly take notice of it. However we all stopped what we were doing and grouped near the house to marvel at the beauty of this world God has created.
Back in February when we had a team come in, we hired a local cuisinière to prepare some meal for us. Since then every time we are served riz sauce en patte d’arachide (rice with peanut sauce) Liz and I say “Oh this is good. But not as good as Samuel’s sauce!” So when we had a team coming monday we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a cooking lesson with Samuel. He showed us how to prepare his “famous” riz sauce. It was fun cooking lesson. He told us stories about his time in Cote d’Ivoire in between asking us to check the sauce so as to make sure we saw it at every stage of it cooking. We are fortunate in that Samuel’s sauce only takes 45 minutes (for him) to prepare. Depending on the individual’s recipe it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to all afternoon! He made sure to suggest lots of other veggies we could put in that aren’t currently in season or that we didn’t have on hand. I was thankful for all his tips and look forward to trying my hand at the sauce sometime in the future.
Finished (and delicious) product!
The orphanage received a huge gift Monday morning. A missionary family brought 350 Moringa trees to the orphanage that they’d grown from seed in their courtyard. We thought it might take our team a while to plant the trees (it was us four, their family of six and a couple of our staff) however, Adiara suggested we ask some of our school children to pitch in and was I ever amazed. Swarms of children flocked to the truck to unload trees: I’ve never seen trees fly into so many hands and then off to so many directions! We literally had to hold children back because they were so eager to help. Since our boys already had holes dug everyone split off into teams: the first watered the ground, second put in manouere, third filled the hole back in and the put the tree in and covered it. All 350 trees were planted in less than two hours! The Moringa trees will be a huge blessing to the orphanage. Sometimes they are called the “Miracle Tree” because the tree is so rich in vitamins. It has more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk and more vitamin c than carrots. There is a whole list of other vitamins it contains iron and magnesium being only just a few.We will harvest the leaves of the trees, dry them and prepare a powder from it (the best way to get the most vitamins from the leaves) and add the powder to the children’s food. This past weekend we started including the Moringa Powder in the children’s meals. Although preparing a powder as we do is the best way to prepare the moringa leave you can prepare it various other ways. You can also eat every part of the tree including the seeds. The seeds can be used to purify water. Moringa powder can be used to treat malnuritrion, as well as help breastfeeding mothers ensure they are getting the nutrients they need to give their child what it needs. We watched a video Monday afternoon that showed some health clinics where they have been treating malnuritrion with powder made from the moringa leaves. I was amazed to see how much weight children would put on in just weeks of taking small amounts of the powder in their diets!I also saw a map of where the moringa trees grow contrasted to a map of where malnutrition occurs globally. Would you believe it the two maps were nearly identical?
It’s obvious God planned this tree to grow where the people who needed it the most would be able to get to it. (I recognise of course there remains a huge need to give these people access to the trees and to educate them on the benefits of using it in food preparation and how to prepare it. But it is there!)If you’re interested in more information on Moringa trees the website recommended to me was Echonet.org
Above: A newly planted miracle tree!
Below: This is a picture of a large Moringa. It was already growing in our courtyard and has depassed the size we would use for harvesting leaves. However it is perfect for cultivating seeds!
Below: This is a picture of a large Moringa. It was already growing in our courtyard and has depassed the size we would use for harvesting leaves. However it is perfect for cultivating seeds!
I was privileged to witness a rare spectacle here in Burkina Faso while tree planting! A perfectly circular ring appeared around the sun a little before noon. I was working outside near Jean and I asked him what it was. He explained it was in fact a rainbow.Jean and the kids told me they happen every so often, however it was Ruth’s first time seeing one and she’s been here nine years. So I felt privileged even if the kids say they aren’t that rare. It was beautiful. The children and staff seemed to hardly take notice of it. However we all stopped what we were doing and grouped near the house to marvel at the beauty of this world God has created.
I realise my pictures don’t quite capture the whole thing, so you’ll have to fill in the blanks for yourself. The inner ring is the sun, the next one was a really dark spot (almost shadow like), and then the outer ring was a magnificent bright light with hints of colour that I could tell were the colours of a rainbow.
Back in February when we had a team come in, we hired a local cuisinière to prepare some meal for us. Since then every time we are served riz sauce en patte d’arachide (rice with peanut sauce) Liz and I say “Oh this is good. But not as good as Samuel’s sauce!” So when we had a team coming monday we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a cooking lesson with Samuel. He showed us how to prepare his “famous” riz sauce. It was fun cooking lesson. He told us stories about his time in Cote d’Ivoire in between asking us to check the sauce so as to make sure we saw it at every stage of it cooking. We are fortunate in that Samuel’s sauce only takes 45 minutes (for him) to prepare. Depending on the individual’s recipe it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to all afternoon! He made sure to suggest lots of other veggies we could put in that aren’t currently in season or that we didn’t have on hand. I was thankful for all his tips and look forward to trying my hand at the sauce sometime in the future.Finished (and delicious) product!
Tene: Moore for Monday
11.5.09
A few brief updates
Francois is a boy that attends the Sheltering Wings School here in Yako. Last Thursday he fell from a tree and fractured his femur. His mother brought him to the hospital in Yako where they determined it was broken and prescribed painkillers and antibiotics, and told him he would need to go to Ouahigouya for an X-ray as Yako does not have an X-ray machine. His mother couldn’t afford to bring him to Ouahigouya and so she sent him to a nearby village for traditional treatment. 
Thursday we had our first rain storm. By rain storm I don’t mean drizzle I mean downpour! At the time the rain started I was at the house with Therese, Ferdinand and Osseus. They stayed at the house until the rain ended, mostly I think because people just don’t want to go out in the rain! Therese and I went out for a couple minutes, because I was so excited for the relief from the heat but quickly we were wet and cold and wanted to run back inside. They helped me run around and shut windows. But we had no power so I tracked down a lantern and the three kids snuggled on the couch in blankets (I wasn’t that cold!). We did shadow puppets on the wall for a little while and then I pulled out cars and barbies for them to play with in the dark. Because of the noise of the rain on the roof we couldn’t talk to each other, but hey it was a fun rain shower! Friday the termites came out!(apparently they come out the night after the rain) These are not wood termites but another variety. There were hundreds of them clustered around each light and filling the pathways! They got through the front door and every few minutes we’d kill 5 or 10 until we managed to get it closed enough that weren’t coming in... And then as suddenly as they appeared they died.
Here’s a picture of Joseph and I taken fairly recently. He’s taken to shushing me if I ask him questions or to talk- not because he doesn’t want to talk but because he thinks going “SHH!” with his finger to his lips is hilarious.
I tagged along with Ruth and Innocent (the director of the school) for a visit to his house on Sunday. We had thought we would still be at the village but sometime Saturday or Sunday they brought him back from the village and to his home in Yako. He was laying inside on a mattress on the ground, and when we arrived his mother helped him sit up. His leg was braced with a stick and wrapped in heavy fabric. I could see that his in injured leg was very, very swollen. His arm was also swollen and his mother said the healer had been doing something to that as well, although it wasn’t wrapped or braced. Beside his leg on the mattress were cement blocks, they told us the blocks were to keep his leg from moving.Since the traditional healers can only do their best to put the bones in place and keep them there the children receiving treatment run the risk of their bones healing misaligned. Ruth has seen children crippled because of this. As of now Innocent believes things are going well for Francois’s healing but Ruth has asked Innocent to check on Francois again after his next treatment from the traditional healer, to ensure he is still comfortable with the level of care he is receiving. Should he not be SW would help Francois by taking him to the hospital for the Xrays (while still respecting the family culturally of course as they chose the means of traditional healing.)
A couple short stories:
The other night Liz and I went out to bring coffee to the night guard and do our tour of the courtyard before going to bed. We checked particularily on the primary school boys room because one of our boys has taken to sleeping outside in funny places. I understand his desire- it is HOT inside and so much nicer outside, however family rules are everyone sleeps in their own rooms (with so many children and girls and boys in the same courtyard the rule is a no brainer really). We observed he was not in his room and so set out to look for him. We started with where he’s been before: under the hangar, on benches around the courtyard, near the clinic and he was nowhere to be found! Then we were walking back towards the kitchen and I saw something. I motioned to Liz and she went “No!” I nodded. Once I got closer I couldn’t contain my laughter. He had pulled a mat up on top of the monkey bars and was sleeping up there! I had to reach up to poke him awake. He seemed surprised to be awakened but agreed to go sleep inside. What a kid! Sleeping on the monkey bars...
A couple short stories:
The other night Liz and I went out to bring coffee to the night guard and do our tour of the courtyard before going to bed. We checked particularily on the primary school boys room because one of our boys has taken to sleeping outside in funny places. I understand his desire- it is HOT inside and so much nicer outside, however family rules are everyone sleeps in their own rooms (with so many children and girls and boys in the same courtyard the rule is a no brainer really). We observed he was not in his room and so set out to look for him. We started with where he’s been before: under the hangar, on benches around the courtyard, near the clinic and he was nowhere to be found! Then we were walking back towards the kitchen and I saw something. I motioned to Liz and she went “No!” I nodded. Once I got closer I couldn’t contain my laughter. He had pulled a mat up on top of the monkey bars and was sleeping up there! I had to reach up to poke him awake. He seemed surprised to be awakened but agreed to go sleep inside. What a kid! Sleeping on the monkey bars...
Thursday we had our first rain storm. By rain storm I don’t mean drizzle I mean downpour! At the time the rain started I was at the house with Therese, Ferdinand and Osseus. They stayed at the house until the rain ended, mostly I think because people just don’t want to go out in the rain! Therese and I went out for a couple minutes, because I was so excited for the relief from the heat but quickly we were wet and cold and wanted to run back inside. They helped me run around and shut windows. But we had no power so I tracked down a lantern and the three kids snuggled on the couch in blankets (I wasn’t that cold!). We did shadow puppets on the wall for a little while and then I pulled out cars and barbies for them to play with in the dark. Because of the noise of the rain on the roof we couldn’t talk to each other, but hey it was a fun rain shower! Friday the termites came out!(apparently they come out the night after the rain) These are not wood termites but another variety. There were hundreds of them clustered around each light and filling the pathways! They got through the front door and every few minutes we’d kill 5 or 10 until we managed to get it closed enough that weren’t coming in... And then as suddenly as they appeared they died.
Here’s a picture of Joseph and I taken fairly recently. He’s taken to shushing me if I ask him questions or to talk- not because he doesn’t want to talk but because he thinks going “SHH!” with his finger to his lips is hilarious.
5.5.09
Trust
I knew coming to Burkina Faso I would face experiences that would affect me in ways I can’t quite explain; experiences that simply aren’t done justice by my words or explanations. Simply put i'm at a loss for how to put things a lot of the time...
In a recent blog entry I asked you to pray for three babies. Salif returned back to the orphanage on April 29. He is healthy and looking very happy. Jules returned home just last night. I haven`t heard his official weight but I can tell you his cheeks look a little chubby. Pray for his health as he needs to continue to gain and keep on weight. He is now a year old.
Rosaline passed away April 30. She came to us very small and had been recieving treatment at the orphanage for a week or so before we sent her to the hospitall. She then spent three weeks at the hospital in Ouahigouya before the sickness became too much for her little body.
One of our staff members gave Liz and me the news. After speaking with him I returned to the house. I took some time to let myself cry. I prayed a simple prayer and in a moment of silence I had a profound sense of peace because I felt the lord say ``She is home with me”. I am not saying I don`t feel sadness about her death but I feel peace. For a reason unbeknownst to me God called Rosaline home to Him. I will probably never understand why He called her home, but God has not asked me to understand His reasons he has only asked me to trust in Him.
The day after her death Rosaline`s father and 2 uncles came to visit us at the orphanage. (Rosaline had been placed with us temporarily after her mother’s death and would have returned home once she was a year old.)The father and uncles live in a village 35km away from Yako. They rode their bikes in 45degree heat to the orphanage. The purpose of the visit was for them to give us their condolences and thank us for what we had done for their child. I can`t tell how the gentleness of their action struck a chord in my heart.
I had been praying through some of the prayers written by Lancelot Andrews through the month of April. I went back to this one that day and I have gone back and prayed through it several times since. Remember the Lonely:
Remember, Lord, all the infants, the children, the youth, the middle-aged and the elderly who are hungry, sick, thirsty, naked, captive or friendless in this world. Be with those who are tempted with suicide, who are sick in soul, who are in despair. Remember those who are in prison, all those who are under sentence of death. Remember the widows and the widowers, the orphans and those who travel in a foreign land. Remember all those who this day will work under oppressive conditions. Remember the lonely.
In a recent blog entry I asked you to pray for three babies. Salif returned back to the orphanage on April 29. He is healthy and looking very happy. Jules returned home just last night. I haven`t heard his official weight but I can tell you his cheeks look a little chubby. Pray for his health as he needs to continue to gain and keep on weight. He is now a year old.
Rosaline passed away April 30. She came to us very small and had been recieving treatment at the orphanage for a week or so before we sent her to the hospitall. She then spent three weeks at the hospital in Ouahigouya before the sickness became too much for her little body.
One of our staff members gave Liz and me the news. After speaking with him I returned to the house. I took some time to let myself cry. I prayed a simple prayer and in a moment of silence I had a profound sense of peace because I felt the lord say ``She is home with me”. I am not saying I don`t feel sadness about her death but I feel peace. For a reason unbeknownst to me God called Rosaline home to Him. I will probably never understand why He called her home, but God has not asked me to understand His reasons he has only asked me to trust in Him.
The day after her death Rosaline`s father and 2 uncles came to visit us at the orphanage. (Rosaline had been placed with us temporarily after her mother’s death and would have returned home once she was a year old.)The father and uncles live in a village 35km away from Yako. They rode their bikes in 45degree heat to the orphanage. The purpose of the visit was for them to give us their condolences and thank us for what we had done for their child. I can`t tell how the gentleness of their action struck a chord in my heart.
I had been praying through some of the prayers written by Lancelot Andrews through the month of April. I went back to this one that day and I have gone back and prayed through it several times since. Remember the Lonely:
Remember, Lord, all the infants, the children, the youth, the middle-aged and the elderly who are hungry, sick, thirsty, naked, captive or friendless in this world. Be with those who are tempted with suicide, who are sick in soul, who are in despair. Remember those who are in prison, all those who are under sentence of death. Remember the widows and the widowers, the orphans and those who travel in a foreign land. Remember all those who this day will work under oppressive conditions. Remember the lonely.
Gros Poisson and other brief updates...
Back home on April 1st it is April Fools day. If I am truly honest I will admit I missed this tradition (although only a little bit!) on the 1st of April. That day I didn’t see any pranks or hear anything about April Fools. I suppose I missed the comfort of knowing it was there. Little did I know... Here the whole month of April is April Fools. In French it is termed Poisson d’Avril (literally translated Fish of April) and when someone pulls one they say “Gros poisson!” (big fish). So the fact that I didn’t hear anything about it on the first didn’t mean that by the second and third I wasn’t still hearing things.. The kids would come and tell me someone was waiting for me at the office, or there was a phone call for me but when I would arrive there would be no one. Silly things but the singsong of Poisson d’Avril sang through the air every time I made the mistake of trusting them! April 30 is the last day for pranks and so Liz and I planned our “revenge” for that night. We invited all the kids for a movie night to the house. Adiara even went out and told kids it was mandatory: she woke one up, and made one stop washing laundry to come for the movie! Once they were all here (okay we had 22 of 28 but that’s pretty good! It’s hard to get all our kids in one place!) we suggested we could explain to them what the movie was about. I started off by telling them the movie was about something they (the kids) all liked a lot. In fact it is something they do a lot. Someone interrupted me but one of our Abrahams (we have 3 Abrahams. This one is our oldest.) stopped them and told me to continue. I elaborated only a little bit more and then Liz pulled a drawing we’d done of a fish and taped it to the TV. She said “it’s kind of like this.” The kids gave her a blank stare “what do you call this?” she said “un poisson” they all said. And then all of a sudden a look of shock came across their faces as everyone went “un poisson?!” I said. “could you even say un gros poisson?” the room errutped with laughter. Abraham put his head in his hands, several of the kids were jumping up and laughing... It was quite the commotion.
But because the next day was a day off school, and it was May we showed a movie that day. This month is MainauDos (hand on back). Anytime sometime catches you not walking with your hand on your back they have free reign to slap you on the back. It’s not so bad though because often kids don’t do it, or you can figure out they’re planning to hit you before they do and get your hand on your back quick.
Saturday morning we welcomed Ruth back to the orphanage! Sunday morning Liz and I did a pancake breakfast for all the kids and as a welcome home Ruth breakfast. Liz and I made 65+ pancakes, homemade syrup and served pancakes with peanut butter and jam. It was so much fun. I think the kids finished off everything! We brought pancakes over to the babies and tantines and everyone seemed to enjoy them.
Below: two of our primary school aged boys waiting for their pancakes
The school year is coming to an end and our students face challenging exams. For our students in 3ieme(equivalent to 10th grade) and terminal (final year of school, like grade twelve) their final exams are a pass/fail exam. If they pass the exam they will pass the course if not they must repeat the grade. This is a very stressful time of year for them. Pray for them as they prepare for these exams.
While Ruth was back in the States many exciting things were put in motion for the orphanage. God made it very clear he is not done in Burkina Faso and he has lots going on here. Praise for the exciting things God is doing.
But because the next day was a day off school, and it was May we showed a movie that day. This month is MainauDos (hand on back). Anytime sometime catches you not walking with your hand on your back they have free reign to slap you on the back. It’s not so bad though because often kids don’t do it, or you can figure out they’re planning to hit you before they do and get your hand on your back quick.
Saturday morning we welcomed Ruth back to the orphanage! Sunday morning Liz and I did a pancake breakfast for all the kids and as a welcome home Ruth breakfast. Liz and I made 65+ pancakes, homemade syrup and served pancakes with peanut butter and jam. It was so much fun. I think the kids finished off everything! We brought pancakes over to the babies and tantines and everyone seemed to enjoy them.
Below: two of our primary school aged boys waiting for their pancakes
The school year is coming to an end and our students face challenging exams. For our students in 3ieme(equivalent to 10th grade) and terminal (final year of school, like grade twelve) their final exams are a pass/fail exam. If they pass the exam they will pass the course if not they must repeat the grade. This is a very stressful time of year for them. Pray for them as they prepare for these exams.
While Ruth was back in the States many exciting things were put in motion for the orphanage. God made it very clear he is not done in Burkina Faso and he has lots going on here. Praise for the exciting things God is doing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)